PlayStation fans have been waiting to hear what’s next from Sony’s God of War studio, Santa Monica, amid rumors that the 2018 game’s director, Cory Barlog, is busy creating a new IP. The veteran developer appears to have finally provided them with their first official details, albeit in the strangest way possible: via his Facebook account.
Update: 8/18/2025 12:38 p.m. ET: The Facebook profile reported by Game Informer to be Cory Barlog’s appears to be fake. Kotaku spotted a now-deleted post in Turkish on the account. The account also has a post from May 14 linking to a BlueSky account. However, that account is fake and not Barlog’s actual BlueSky profile, which is followed by Sony Santa Monica Studios. The fake Facebook account seems to have fooled a lot of people, as it appears to be friends with industry veterans like former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden, who even communicated directly with the account in the replies to that specific post about BlueSky. Kotaku has messaged the fake profile but has not heard back.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier posted on ResetEra about the Turkish post that was deleted shortly after Game Informer reported on the announcement, stating, “Either it’s a fake account or Cory is a big fan of Turkish.”
Original story follows…
“I’d like to share a little bit about our new project,” Barlog wrote on Facebook, as first reported by by Game Informer. “I’m incredibly proud of what the team at Santa Monica Studio has been accomplishing. It’s a technically ambitious project, something that’s not easy to achieve. This is a new IP we’ve been working on for years, and if all goes well, we’re planning to show it to you later this year. I couldn’t be more excited.”
While many have shared doubts about the veracity of the post, the account behind it is listed as friends with God of War composer Bear McCreary and former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida, among other industry figures. Sony did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
As rumors have swirled about what exactly Santa Monica is making, Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier reported earlier this year that, contrary to popular speculation, the studio was not making a sci-fi game. He was more cryptic on whether the current project is related to God of War or not. “It’s not a new IP but it might feel like one,” he wrote. “Maybe that’s why people are confused.”
This led some fans to speculate that the upcoming game could be a God of War spin-off that is so different from the existing third-person action franchise, it’s being treated internally as a new IP. It’s unclear right now how many projects Santa Monica has going at the same time, with a rumored God of War set in Greece reportedly delayed and an online spin-off at fellow PlayStation studio Bluepoint reportedly canceled earlier this year.
One thing’s for sure: the new game’s announcement, whatever it ends up being, is something PS5 superfans have been desperate for as this console generation drags on without many first-party single-player blockbusters to point to. If Barlog’s next game does get announced this year, presumably at the Game Awards, it’ll suggest the PS5 is shaping up to have a strong last few years when it comes to Sony-made exclusives.